Clifton | |
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![]() Clifton (southwest, in red) and Clifton Down (northeast, in blue) city council wards shown within Bristol. | |
Population | 21,818 Both wards (2011) [1] |
OS grid reference | ST571737 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRISTOL |
Postcode district | BS8 |
Dialling code | 0117 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Avon |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Clifton is an inner suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five electoral wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Down.
Clifton is home to Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Clifton Suspension Bridge; many buildings of the University of Bristol, including Goldney Hall; the Roman Catholic Clifton Cathedral; Christ Church, Clifton Down; Clifton College; Clifton High School; the former Amberley House preparatory school; Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School, The Clifton Club; and Bristol Zoo. It is also noted for the Downs, a large, open park.
Although the suburb has no formal boundaries, the name Clifton is generally applied to the high ground stretching from Whiteladies Road in the east to the rim of the Avon Gorge in the west, and from Clifton Down and Durdham Down in the north to Cornwallis Crescent in the south. This area corresponds roughly with the Bristol City Council electoral wards of Clifton and Clifton Down, albeit with some discrepancies. The southern boundary of Clifton ward is Hotwells Road, encompassing the hillside areas that might typically be considered to be the Cliftonwood and Hotwells neighbourhoods rather than Clifton. The eastern boundary of Clifton Down ward encompasses Redland Park and Cotham Hill, which might typically be considered to be in the Redland and Cotham neighbourhoods.
Clifton has several neighbourhood focal points, including Whiteladies Road, an important shopping district to the east, and Clifton Village, a smaller shopping area near the Avon Gorge to the west.
Clifton was recorded in the Domesday book as Clistone, the name of the village denoting a 'hillside settlement' and referring to its position on a steep hill. Situated to the west of Bristol city centre, it was at one time a separate settlement but became attached to Bristol by continuous development during the Georgian era and was formally incorporated into the city in the 1830s. Until 1898, Clifton St Andrew was a separate civil parish within the Municipal Borough of Bristol. [2] In 1891 the parish had a population of 29,345. [3] On 30 September 1896, the parish was abolished to form North Bristol. [4]
Clifton is one of the oldest and most affluent areas of the city, much of it having been built with profits from tobacco and the slave trade. Grand houses that required many servants were built in the area. Although some were detached or semi-detached properties, the bulk were built as terraces, many with three or more floors. One famous terrace is the majestic Royal York Crescent, visible from the Avon Gorge below and looking across the Bristol docks. Berkeley Square and Berkeley Crescent, which were built around 1790, are examples of Georgian architecture. Secluded squares include the triangular Canynge Square. The Whiteladies Picture House on Whiteladies Road was converted into offices and a gymnasium in 2001 but it was re-opened as a cinema by Everyman Cinemas in 2016. [5] [6] Clifton Lido was built in 1850 but closed to the public in 1990, it was redeveloped and opened again to the public in November 2008. [7]
On 17 December 1978 a bomb on Queen's Road in Clifton detonated, injuring at least seven people. The Provisional IRA was responsible. [8]
Clifton is served by Clifton Down railway station on the local Severn Beach railway line, and by frequent bus services from central Bristol. It has road links to the city centre and outer western suburbs, and across the Clifton Suspension Bridge to Leigh Woods in North Somerset. Between 1893 and 1934, it was connected to Hotwells by the Clifton Rocks Railway.
Clifton has a long history of natural history television programming and global conservation, due to the presence of the former Bristol Zoo in the north of the neighbourhood, and the BBC Natural History Unit on Whiteladies Road, which means that more than 25% of the world's wildlife programmes are made in Bristol. [9] Animal Magic with Johnny Morris was filmed at Bristol Zoo for the duration of the programme (1963–1983).
The UK arm of the conservation charity Ape Action Africa, which rescues and rehabilitates chimpanzees and gorillas in Cameroon, West Africa, operates out of Clifton.
Clifton | |
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ward Bristol City Council. | |
![]() Ward boundaries since 2016. | |
County | Bristol |
Population | 13,022 [10] |
Electorate | 8,883 [11] |
Current ward | |
Created | 1974 |
Councillor | Paula O'Rourke (Green) |
Councillor | Jerome Thomas (Green) |
UK Parliament constituency | Bristol Central |
Clifton electoral ward covers the central and southwestern parts of Clifton, plus Cliftonwood and the hillside areas of Hotwells as far south as Hotwells Road. The ward is represented by two members on Bristol City Council, which as of 2024 [update] are Paula O'Rourke and Jerome Thomas, both of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Clifton was first created as an electoral ward at the time that the County of Avon was created in 1974, electing 1 member to Avon County Council and 3 members to Bristol City Council. [12] The boundaries were revised in 1980 and 2016. [13]
Elected | Councillor | Party | Electorate | Turnout | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 [14] | Paula O'Rourke | Green | 8,883 | 39% | |
Jerome Thomas | Green | ||||
2021 [15] | Katy Grant | Green | 9,845 | 48.57% | |
Paula O'Rourke | Green | ||||
2016 [16] | Paula O'Rourke | Green | |||
Jerome Thomas | Green |
Before 2016, Bristol City Council used a system of elections by thirds, in which councillors sat for four year terms, but elections took place in three out of every four years, with roughly one third of seats up for election at any one time. Clifton ward therefore elected one of its two councillors at a time, in elections taking place every second year.
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Elected | Councillor | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Jerome Thomas | Green | |
2013 | Charles Lucas | Conservative | |
2011 | Barbara Janke | Liberal Democrats | |
2009 | Trevor Blythe | Liberal Democrats | |
2007 | Barbara Janke | Liberal Democrats |
In Frances Burney's novel Evelina (1778), young gentlemen are racing their phaetons on the public highways of Clifton (then still outside Bristol), and not without incident.
Part of the background to Philippa Gregory's historical novel A Respectable Trade – dealing mainly with the slave trade in late 18th-century Bristol – is the start of construction at Clifton, then a far area outside the city limits as they were at the time. In some passages characters debate whether Clifton could ever become viable and whether investment in real estate there would not be too risky – questions which were evidently quite relevant at the time though to the modern reader the answers are obvious.
The song "Clifton in the Rain" by Al Stewart appears on his first album Bed-Sitter Images .
The song "32 West Mall", which appeared on the 1971 album Stackridge was named after the communal flat that the band shared as their headquarters at 32 West Mall in 1970. [36]
The 1978 children's paranormal drama "The Clifton House Mystery" – produced by HTV; was set in the Clifton area. The plot revolved around a family moving into an old house; and subsequently finding a skeleton of a long-dead person in a hidden room. After some unexplained incidents, they become convinced that a ghost connected in some way with the Bristol Riots of 1831 is haunting the house. The plot is based on the story of the real-life Thomas Brereton, a Dragoon commander who committed suicide after being court-martialled for his lenient approach to suppressing the rioters; although the ghost is named "George Bretherton" in the TV series.
Clifton has been featured in many television sitcoms, including the late 1970s and early 1980s TV series Shoestring , which was set in Bristol and starred Trevor Eve as a radio reporter and part-time sleuth. Much of the BBC series Mistresses was set there, including the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons. The TV series Teachers was partly filmed in Clifton, as was teen drama Skins and Being Human . Costume drama The House of Eliott was also largely filmed in Clifton, including at Goldney Hall and Berkeley Square.
The long-running hospital drama Casualty also drew on Clifton for many scenes between 1986 and 2009, when it was filmed in Bristol. [37]
In a 2017 episode of the American historical adventure television series Black Sails, Blackbeard played by Ray Stevenson mentions Clifton as being the home of his mother.
A number of films have also been set in Clifton, including The Truth About Love (2005) starring Dougray Scott and Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Foolish Things (2005), starring Lauren Bacall and Anjelica Huston, and Starter for 10 (2006), starring James McAvoy and produced by Tom Hanks, which was filmed largely on Royal York Crescent. [38] The 1962 film about delinquent teenagers, Some People , starring Kenneth More and Ray Brooks was filmed in and around Clifton. [39]
Cliftonwood is a small suburb Bristol, bounded approximately by the Hotwells Road to the south, Jacob's Wells Road and Constitution Hill to the East and North East, Clifton Vale to the West, and by the gardens of Goldney Hall, a University of Bristol hall of residence, to the north. [40] Due to the geography of the area, there are only two roads in and out: Ambra Vale in the south-west corner, and Clifton Wood Road in the north-east, though there are many footpaths. On some sources the area is spelled Cliftonwood (one word), and in some Clifton Wood (two words). It is said that The end of Clifton ends at the end of Ambra Vale road, therefore Cliftonwood is part of Clifton.[ citation needed ]
The suburb is primarily a residential area, with the only commercial premises being the Lion pub. Housing is largely large Victorian terraces, which are often painted bright colours – the coloured houses one can see when standing on Bristol's harbourside and looking up at Cliftonwood are the backs of houses on Ambrose Road and Clifton Wood Terrace.
A medieval Jewish ritual bath known as a mikveh was discovered in 1987 in the former Hotwells Police Station bicycle shed by the Temple Local History group. This is believed to be the origin of the name Jacob's Well, also given to the adjoining road. [41]
Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, on the north bank of the mouth of the River Avon and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the Port of Bristol, Avonmouth Docks is important to the region's maritime economy, hosting large vessels for the unloading and exporting of heavier goods. Much of the land use is industrial, including warehousing, light industry, electrical power and sanitation. The M5 motorway bisects the neighbourhood, with junctions onto the A4 road and M49 motorway, and it has stations on the Severn Beach Line railway.
The Avon Gorge is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bristol, with the boundary running along the south bank. As Bristol was an important port, the gorge formed a defensive gateway to the city.
Bristol City Centre is the commercial, cultural and business centre of Bristol, England. It is the area north of the New Cut of the River Avon, bounded by Clifton Wood and Clifton to the north-west, Kingsdown and Cotham to the north, and St Pauls, Lawrence Hill and St Phillip's Marsh to the east. The Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the BBC, the main campus of the University of Bristol, the Crown and Magistrate's Courts, Temple Meads railway station, Bristol bus station, the Park Street, Broadmead and Cabot Circus shopping areas together with numerous music venues, theatres and restaurants are located in this area. The area consists of the council wards of Central, Hotwells & Harbourside, and part of Lawrence Hill.
Redland is a neighbourhood in Bristol, England. The neighbourhood is situated between Clifton, Cotham, Bishopston and Westbury Park. The boundaries of the district are not precisely defined, but are generally taken to be Whiteladies Road in the west, the Severn Beach railway line in the south and Cranbrook Road in the east.
Ashley is an electoral ward in the city of Bristol, England. It is represented by three members on Bristol City Council, which as of 2024 are Abdul Malik, Izzy Russell and Tim Wye, all members of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Eastville is a suburb and electoral ward in Bristol, England. As an informally defined neighbourhood, Eastville long existed without official boundaries, and the area that has been formally defined for the electoral ward includes neighbourhoods that might not traditionally have been thought of as part of Eastville, while omitting part of the area that is commonly thought of Eastville.
Bristol Tramways operated in the city of Bristol, England from 1875, when the Bristol Tramways Company was formed by Sir George White, until 1941 when a Luftwaffe bomb destroyed the main power supply cables.
Sea Mills is a suburb of Bristol, England, 3.5 miles (6 km) north-west of the city centre, between the former villages of Shirehampton, Westbury-on-Trym and Stoke Bishop, by the mouth of the River Trym where it joins the River Avon.
The city of Bristol, England, is divided into many areas, which often overlap or have non-fixed borders. These include Parliamentary constituencies, council wards and unofficial neighbourhoods. There are no civil parishes in Bristol.
Bower Ashton is a village in south west Bristol on the western boundary with North Somerset, lying within the Southville ward, approximately two miles from the city centre. Ashton Court estate, a 850-acre (3.4 km2) recreational area owned by Bristol City Council lies just to the north, the Long Ashton by-pass to the south and the River Avon to the east.
Windmill Hill is a hill, an inner suburban neighbourhood, and an electoral ward in Bristol, England. It is located south of the River Avon, southeast of Bedminster, north of Knowle and west of Totterdown. Victoria Park occupies the eastern half of the hill.
Hotwells is a neighbourhood in the English port city of Bristol. It is located to the south of and below the high ground of Clifton, and directly to the north of the Floating Harbour. The southern entrance to the Avon Gorge, which connects the docks to the sea, lies at the western end of Hotwells. The eastern end of the area is at the roundabout where Jacobs Well Road meets Hotwell Road. Hotwells is split between the city wards of Clifton, and Hotwells and Harbourside.
The Bristol Port Railway and Pier was a railway in Bristol, England.
Clifton East was one of the thirty-five council wards in Bristol, England. As the name suggests, the ward covered the eastern part of the Clifton area of Bristol. The ward ceased to exist in May 2016 following a boundary review. It was mostly replaced by a new ward called Clifton Down, with the south-west corner of Clifton East being moved into the neighbouring ward of Clifton.”
Hotwells railway station, was a railway station situated in the suburb of Hotwells in Bristol, England. It was the original southern terminus of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier which ran to a station and pier at Avonmouth. The station opened in 1865, originally named Clifton station, and was situated in the Avon Gorge almost underneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, near the Clifton Rocks Railway, the Hotwells terminus of Bristol Tramways, the Rownham ferry and landing stages used by passenger steamers.
Bristol Diamonds are quartz crystals found in geodes and geological rock formations which occur in dolomitic conglomerate in the Avon Gorge in Bristol, England. Their origin lies in geological processes of the Triassic period, about 250 to 200 million years ago.
Berkeley Crescent is a late 18th-century crescent of six Georgian houses with a private communal garden.
Cornwallis Crescent is a late 18th-century crescent of 24 Georgian town houses, located between York Gardens and Cornwallis Avenue in the Clifton area of Bristol. The postcode is within the Hotwells and Harbourside ward and electoral division, which is in the constituency of Bristol West.
Clifton Down is one of the thirty-four electoral wards in the city of Bristol in the southwest of England, United Kingdom. It is represented by two members on Bristol City Council, which as of 2024 are George Calascione and Serena Ralston of the Green Party of England and Wales.
Hotwells and Harbourside is one of the thirty-four electoral wards in the city of Bristol in the southwest of England. It is represented by one councillor on Bristol City Council, which as of 2024 is Patrick McAllister of the Green Party of England and Wales. Hotwells and Harbourside ward was created in May 2016 following a boundary review, incorporating part of the former Cabot ward.